Homework Question on Health Ethics
I am learning health ethics class now. The book I am using is “essential public health ethics” . Please write in simple way or simple words and relate to the class. Thank you.
Read the case and write one-paragraph-length answers for the questions: The Lifeboat You are now on 2 weeks cruise holiday with your friends. The ship carries 3,000 passengers and people enjoy their 2 weeks on board with nice meals at several restaurants, shopping on shopping floors, watching playing at the theater, exercising in the swimming pool and a number of parties and events the cruise company organizes. On your 8th day on board, the disaster happened. A fire broke out on the ship and fireworks on the basement were caught. Immediately the explosion occurred and the emergency bell alarmed. The ship began to sink and people got in the panic, dashing to the deck where they can get the lifeboat. Fortunately, you were standing at the gate when the accidents happened, so you could get the lifeboat immediately. Now your lifeboat is away from the ship with 11 people and you are helping the sailor to get some more people from the sea. The capacity of this lifeboat is 20 people but you can still see many people screaming and asking help around the lifeboat. Now you see your friend is swimming toward to the boat. The boat seems to be full.
Questions:
- Facing the danger of capsizing the boat, what is your duty?
- Compare the ethical duties you have to save your friend as compared to other people?
- Will there be any criteria for you to decide who to get on the lifeboat from the sea?
- What would be the most ethical behavior(s) in this situation?
- Do you this it is possible to be ethical in this situation?
Homework Answer on Health Ethics
Q.1: My duty is to act fairly and seek to help as many people as possible. With the lifeboat full and considering the risk of capsizing when the number of people it holds exceeds its capacity, it is my duty to prevent harm to the 20 people on the boat. I would focus on directing my friend and others in water to other lifeboats. By preventing excess capacity on the lifeboat, and hence preventing the risk of capsizing it, I would be acting fairly towards the people already on the boat.
Q.2: Helping my friend out of the water and into the boat would be an emotionally and psychologically fulfilling thing. Nevertheless, the need that my friend has for rescue is the same as that of other people in the water. This means that I have an equal responsibility to promote the wellbeing of others as much as that of my friend. I have an ethical responsibility to adhere to the justice principle in health ethics by applying fair, equal, and unbiased judgment in the rescue process, offering others and my friend an equal opportunity. This means that I cannot offer preference to my friend in the rescue, instead providing all people an equalchance for safety.